But when he started at St. Mary’s College, Kung was encouraged to combine the two disciplines and then speak about the connections.

“When I started digging into the connections, I became increasingly interested in how these seemingly very different disciplines are actually intimately intertwined,” Kung said.

Kung shared ways that mathematics can effectively predict the future of music and sound. Kung then went on to illustrate the concept using rope, PVC tubing, mathematics and his own violin. He spoke about topics such as overtones, resonance and even on energy levels in quantum mechanics.

Stephen Tenreiro, a junior at WSU, attended the event.

“I’m amazed that there is technology that can analyze music,” Tenreiro said. “There’s a formula for everything.”

Kung said that what fascinates him about math is that it has a history of being “unreasonably effective.”

“Time after time, theoretical mathematicians invent complicated theories,” Kung said. “And years later, their work turns out to be needed to solve some real-world problem.”

Kung concluded the evening playing Bach’s “Chaconne,” considered an especially challenging piece.

As a teacher, Kung is always trying to find ways to get students excited by mathematics.

“When I give a lecture like this, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to get math lovers interested in music,” Kung said. “And give music lovers a glimpse of how mathematics informs their world.”